Bobbin-supporting assemblies for sewing machines



May 7, 1968 A. s. MELOY, JR

BOBBIN-SUPPORTING ASSEMBLIES FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Oct. 10, 1966 Fig.2.

INVENTOR. Arthur S. Meloy, Jr. IZr O i -V AT ORNEY Wnness fl z'ml m;

United States Patent Office 3,381,643 Patented May 7, 1968 3,381,643 BOBBIN-SUPPORTING ASSEMBLIES FOR SEWING MACHINES Arthur S. Meloy, Jr., Morris Plains, N.J., assiguor to The Singer Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 585,554 3 Claims. (Cl. 112-231) The present invention relates to sewing machine bobbin supporting assemblies and more particularly to the twosection type comprising a bobbin-case carrier and a bobbin case, the carrier section of which is mounted in a rotary hook body.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved latching arrangement for a two-section sewing machine bobbin supporting assembly, for releasably securing the bobbin case to the bobbin-case carrier.

It is another object of the present invention to obviate the warping problems associated with the axial arbors carried by conventional bobbin-case carriers for such twosection bobbin supporting assemblies and to reduce the weight of the bobbin-case carriers.

Having in mind the above and other objects that will be evident from an understanding of this disclosure, the invention comprises the devices, combiations, and arrangements of parts as illustrated in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention which is hereinafter set forth in such detail as to enable those skilled in the art readily to understand the function, operation, construction, and advantages of it when read in conjuction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an end view of the two-section bobbin case of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tWSeCti0n bobbin supporting assembly of the present invention with the bobbin case shown removed from the bobbin case carrrer,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3 but with the two-sections in operative engagement, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bobbin case shown in FIGS. 1-4.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a twosection bobbin supporting assembly for a sewing machine. The assembly 10 includes a cup-shaped bobbin case carrier 12 and a cup-shaped bobbin case 14. The bobbin case carrier 12 is mounted in the usual manner on a hook body 16 having a bore for receiving a hook shaft 18 adapted to drive the hook body.

The cup-shaped bobbin case carrier 12 is formed with a sidewall 20 and a diameter bar 22 that bisects one of the open ends of the carrier. The diameter bar 22 is formed with a cylindrical rim 24 that extends inwardly within the confines of the carrier 12 and axially of the carrier, thus eliminating the axial arbor carried by the conventional bobbin case carrier for a two-section bobbin supporting assembly. An elongated inner slot 26 is formed in the rim 24 and opens into an elongated outer slot 28 formed in the diameter bar 22. The outer slot 28 and the rim 24 combine to form a lip 29 while diametrically opposite from the lip the slot 28 breaks through the rim 24 to form an aperture 31, as seen more clearly in FIG. 3. The inside surface of the wall 20 of the carrier 12 has formed thereon a pair of spaced stops or buttons 33.

The cup-shaped bobbin case 14 includes a sidewall 30 formed with a slot 35 through which the buttons 33 protrude when the case 14 is mounted on the carrier 12, thereby to prevent rotation of the bobbin case 14 relatively to the carrier 12, as is conventional in the art. The closed end of the case 14 is formed with a substantially convex face 32 having a pair of finger-grip openings 3 and 36 on opposite sides of the face and a third, circular opening 38 positioned centrally in the face 32 between the finger-grip openings 34 and 36 and concentric with the cylindrical rim 24. A conventional spring tension member 39 is secured to the bobbin case 14, as seen more clearly in FIG. 5. An open-ended tubular bob-bin arbor 40 is secured to the face 32 by any suitable means and extends concentric with the bobbin case 14 to within a short distance from the open end of the case. When the bobbin case 14 is in its normal position within the bobbin case carrier 12, as shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4, the free end of the tubular arbor 40 abuts the circular rim 24 with which it is axially aligned. The post 40 has formed therein a latch lever slot 41 near the end closest the face 32.

Pivotally mounted within the tubular arbor 40 intermediate the post ends is an elongated latch finger 42. The latch lever 42 includes an olfset end segment 44 and a foot 46 formed from the other end segment of the lever 42. The foot 46 includes at one end a heel 48 and at the other end a toe 50. A notch 49 isformed in the latch lever 42 immediately above the heel 48 and a notch 51 immediately above the toe 50. The latch lever 42 is pivotally mounted within the tubular post 40 on a transverse cylindrical pin 52 secured within the post at approximately the middle point intermediate the post ends. The pin 52 is formed with a pair of grooves 54 that circumscribe the pin and a central segment 56 between the grooves upon which the latch lever 42 is pivoted. The latch lever 42 is biased in a bobbin case locking direction by a substantially U-shaped spring 58 having a closed end 60 connecting legs 62.

The offset end segment 44 of the latch lever 42 protrudes through the slot 41 in the post 40 and into the space defined by the finger grip opening 36, as shown in FIGS. 1-5, while the foot 46 of the latch lever protrudes through the tubular arbor 40 to just beyond the open end of the bobbin case 14, as shown in FIGS. 2-4. The U- shaped spring 58 is mounted within the tubular arbor 40 such that the closed end 60 abuts the latch lever 42 in the notch 51 and the legs 62 are received in the pin grooves 54 with the ends of the spring resting against the inner surface of the arbor near the secured end of the arbor. In that position the legs 62 of the spring 58 straddle the latch lever 42 crossing from the notch 51 side of the lever to the notch 49 side of the lever. When the case 14 is mounted on the carrier 12 the above described arrangement serves to bias the foot end of the lever in a direction away from the aperture 31 side of the outer slot 28.

FIGS. 3 and 4, in particular, illustrate the functioning of the two-section bobbin supporting assembly 10. In FIG. 4 the bobbin case 14 is shown in its operative position within the bobbin case carrier 12, with an empty bobbin 64 rotatably mounted on the tubular arbor 40. In the operative position the latch lever 42 is pivoted about the pin 52 and is biased by the spring 58 so that the heel 48 of the foot 42 engages the lip 29 thereby locking the bobbin case 14 against axial movement relatively to the bobbin case carrier 12. FIG. 3 indicates the procedure for removing the bobbin case 14 along with the bobbin 64. Thus, the operator first slips his thumb T and index finger I, respectively, into the finger grip openings 34 and 36, respectively. Then she pushes the offset segment 44 of the latch lever 42 towards the axis of the bobbin case with her index finger I, thereby pivoting the lever and moving the heel 48 in the outer slot 28 away from the lip 29 of the rim 24 and moving the toe 50 in the slot 28 and through the aperture 31 up against the bobbin 64. At this point the bobbin case 14 is free to move axially relatively to the carrier 12 and the operator need only pull the case towards her to remove it. Since the toe 50 is pressed against the bobbin 64 while the case is being removed the bobbin is locked in the case and cannot fall through the open end of the case.

Having thus set forth the nature of this invention, what is claimed herein is:

1. A sewing machine bobbin supporting assembly comprising a cup-shaped open ended bobbin-case carrier, a bar extending diametrically across one open end of said carrier and formed with an inner and exterior surface, said bar being formed in the exterior surface with a latchlever engaging lip, a cup-shaped bobbin case having a circular end head formed with an opening and a tubular bobbin-supporting arbor secured to said end head and extending axially within said carrier, a spring-biased latch-lever pivotally mounted within said arbor on a transverse pin secured within said arbor intermediate the arbor ends, said latch lever including a finger grip at one end segment and a foot at the other end segment, said latch lever being disposed within said arbor such that said finger grip end segment protrudes through the opening in said circular end head and said latch lever foot engages said lip thereby releasably to lock said bobbin case against axial movement relatively to said carrier, said latch lever foot is formed with a heel at one end and a toe at the other end, said heel being adapted to engage said lip in one position of the latch lever and said toe being adapted to engage a bobbin mounted Within said bobbin case in another position of the latch lever, and means for preventing rotationof said bobbin case relatively to said carrier.

2. A sewing machine bobbin supporting assembly comprising a cup-shaped open-ended carrier, a bar extending diametrically across one open end of said carrier, said bar being formed with a slot intermediate the bar ends, a lip formed by said slot in said bar, a cup-shaped bobbin case mounted in said carrier, said bobbin case having a circular end head and a tubular bobbin-supporting openended arbor, said arbor being secured to said end head and extending axially within said bobbin case, said circular end head being formed therein with two oppositely disposed finger-grip holes, said tubular arbor being formed with a slot in its side, an elongated spring biased latch-lever pivotally mounted within the tubular arbor intermediate the arbor ends, said latch-lever being formed with an ofiset end segment that protrudes through the slot in said arbor and one of said finger-grip holes, said latchlever having formed at its other end segment a foot that protrudes through the open end of said tubular arbor, said foot being movable within the slot in said bar, said foot being formed with a toe and a heel, said heel being adapted to engage said lip when said lever is in a first position and said toe being adapted to engage the rim of a bobbin mounted on said tubular arbor when said lever is in a second position.

3. A sewing machine bobbin supporting assembly as in claim 2 including a transverse pin secured within said arbor intermediate the arbor ends, said latch lever being pivotally mounted on said transverse pin, a substantially U-shaped spring, said foot formed with a spring receiving notch, said spring being mounted within said arbor, the closed end of said spring being adapted to engage said spring receiving notch and the spring legs being adapted to abut said transverse pin intermediate the leg ends whereby said heel is biased by said spring into a lip en-- gaging position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,198,170 4/1940 Karle 112-231 2,212,475 8/ 1940 Karle 112231 3,067,703 12/1962 Gustin 112230 HERBERT F. ROSS, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SEWING MACHINE BOBBIN SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A CUP-SHAPED OPEN ENDED BOBBIN-CASE CARRIER, A BAR EXTENDING DIAMETRICALLY ACROSS ONE OPEN END OF SAID CARRIER AND FORMED WITH AN INNER AND EXTERIOR SURFACE, SAID BAR BEING FORMED IN THE EXTERIOR SURFACE WITH A LATCHLEVER ENGAGING LIP, A CUP-SHAPED BOBBIN CASE HAVING A CIRCULAR END HEAD FORMED WITH AN OPENING AND A TUBULAR BOBBIN-SUPPORTING ARBOR SECURED TO SAID END HEAD AND EXTENDING AXIALLY WITHIN SAID CARRIER, A SPRING-BIASED LATCH-LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID ARBOR ON A TRANSVERSE PIN SECURED WITHIN SAID ARBOR INTERMEDIATE THE ARBOR ENDS, SAID LATCH LEVER INCLUDING A FINGER GRIP AT ONE END SEGMENT AND A FOOT AT THE OTHER END SEGMENT, SAID LATCH LEVER BEING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID ARBOR SUCH THAT SAID FINGER GRIP END SEGMENT PROTRUDES THROUGH THE OPENING IN SAID CIRCULAR END HEAD AND SAID LATCH LEVER FOOT ENGAGES SAID LIP THEREBY RELEASABLY TO LOCK SAID BOBBIN CASE AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVELY TO SAID CARRIER, SAID LATCH LEVER FOOT IS FORMED WITH A HEEL AT ONE END AND A TOE AT THE OTHER END, SAID HEEL BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID LIP IN ONE POSITION OF THE LATCH LEVER AND SAID TOE BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A BOBBIN MOUNTED WITHIN SAID BOBBIN CASE IN ANOTHER POSITION OF THE LATCH LEVER, AND MEANS FOR PREVENTING ROTATION OF SAID BOBBIN CASE RELATIVELY TO SAID CARRIER. 